Brick-molding machine.



s. 411. BRADLEY. BRICK MOLDING MACHINE.

APPLIGATIION PIL-ED SEPT. 14, 1907. Patented NOV- 10 2 SHEETS SHEET 1.

Alzorney 1n: NORRIS PETERS 5a.,wAsumaroN. n. :4

SAMUEL T. H. BRADLEY, OF LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA.

BRICK-MOLDING- MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

Application filed. September 14, 1907. Serial No. 392,914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL T. H. BRAD- LEY, citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Lake Charles, parish of Calcasieu, and State ofLouisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBrick-Molding Machines, of which the followingis a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to a brick molding machine, and particularly to aconstruction involving a revolving mold to permit the successiveformation of bricks therein.

The invention has for an object to provide a novel and improvedconstruction of the mold and cooperating pressing plunger by which themold is locked in position during the pressing operation andsubsequently released for automatic rotation to deliver the bricks uponthe carrier for removal from the machine to a kiln.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will behereinafter set forth and the novel features thereof defined by theappended claims.

In the drawing :F igure 1 is a side elevation of the machine; Fig. 2 isan elevation at the delivery end of the machine; Fig. 3 is a sideelevation at the opposite'side of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a detail sectionthrough the mold; Fig. 5 is a detail perspective of the mold lockingmechanism. Fig. 6 isa sec tion on line G.6, Fig. 2.

Like numerals refer to like parts in the several views of the drawings.I

The numeral 1 designates the frame of the machine which is composed ofopposite standards provided at their upper portion with bearing boxes 2adapted to receive the driving shaft 3, said shaft maving belt pulley 4tthereon. This shaft is provided with a crank 5 connected by the pitman 6with the plunger 7 which is guided by ways 8 at opposite sides of theframe and provided with pressure dies 9 at its lower end adapted toenter the mold boxes. The mold 10 may be of any desired construction,preferably that hereinafter described and provided with the centralpivot 11 rotatably mounted in bearings 12 carried by the oppositestandards.

The form of mold herein shown comprises the boxes 13 disposed at properintervals upon the periphery thereof and extending between theoppositely disposed boxes is the ejector 1%, as shown in Fig. 4, one endthereof being adapted to form the bottom 15 of one mold box, while theopposite end thereof expels the brick from the diametrically oppositebox. These ejectors are provided with elongated slots 16 surrounding thepivot 11 of the mold which is rigidly connected with the side walls 17thereof which also support the mold box 13 in fixed position relative tothe ejectors. The mold is also provided at its periphery with a seriesof recesses 18 disposed centrally of each mold box and adapted tocooperate with a latch mechanism of any desired construction. Apreferable form of this latch comprises the bolt 19 adapted to enter therecesses 18 and carried by the crank levers 20 which are pivotallymounted at 21 in the frame at the sides of the mold, as shown in Figs. 2and 5. The outer ends of these crank levers are pivotally connected todepending rods 22 extending .to crank arms 23 upon a rock shaft 24disposed at the base of the machine, as shown in Fig. 2. The crank leverat one side of the machine is adapted to be actuated at proper intervalsto release and en gage a mold by a link 25 connected thereto and to thelever 26 pivoted upon the frame from which lever an operating arm 27extends and is provided with an elongated slot 28 at its lower end. Thisslot receives a pin or projection 29 from the ratchet lever 30.

The ratchet lever is loosely mounted upon the shaft 31 of the gear 32and is provided with the pawl 33 adapted to engage the ratchet wheel 3%secured to this gear for the purpose of driving the same by anintermittent motion. Power is conveyed to the ratchet. lever through theconnecting rod 35 extending from the plate 36 011 the shaft 3 to whichit is eccentrically connected at 37 to produce a crank mot-ion.

For the purpose of rotating the mold at proper intervals and by anintermittent mo tion the shaft 3 is provided with the plate 38 securedthereto with the crank pin 39 and connecting rod 40 extended therefromto a ratchet lever 41 loosely mounted upon the shaft .22 of the gearwheel 43 which is in mesh with the gear 44: on theshaft ll of the mold.The ratchet lever is provided with a pawl 45 adapted to cooperate withthe ratchet wheel 46 secured to the gear 43.

The material to be molded is fed from the hopper 47 by the spiral screw48 on the shaft 19 driven by the gear 50. This forces the materialthrough the mold 51 where it is cut off by the feed cutter 52 which isreciprocated within its casing by means of the arm 53 connected with thecrank wheel 5st by the pitman 55. This wheel is driven by the pinion 56upon its hub which meshes with the gear 32, as shown by dotted lines inFig. 1. Beneath the mold a delivery belt 57 is mounted upon the rolls 58and 59 soas to remove the molded brick, this belt being adapted to bedriven by a pulley 60 on the roll 59.

In the pressing action within the mold box, it is desirable to secure apressure from the bottom of the box as well as from the plunger and forthis purpose the mold shaft 11 is mounted at each end in the hanger 61having. at its lower end a bearing 64: to support the shaft, andsupported at its upper end from a cam 62 disposed on the shaft 3 andwithin the sleeve 63 of the hanger, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6. By thismeans an up\ ard movement of the mold is secured simultaneously with thedownward movement of the plunger 7 so that the material in the moldispressed from both top and bottom to secure an even texture by an evenpressure thereon.

In the operation of the invention the ma terial is fed downward from thehopper by the screw and passes through the die box from which it isforced by the feeding plunger i-nalinement with the mold box onthe topof the rotatable mold, The plunger then descends and forces the materialinto this box and the mold is simultaneously raised as before described.This feeding action issecured through the medium of the connection fromthe driving shaft to the ratchet wheel by which the feeding plunger isfed a full inward and outward stroke by each complete stroke of the dieplunger. At the completion of these strokes the latches holding the moldarereleased by their connection with the ratchet mechanism so that theweight of the completed brick in the box at the side of the mold causesit to automat ical'ly rotate until this completed brick reaches aposition directly beneath the plunger when it is discharged from themold by forcing the subsequently formed material into the mold box asbefore described. Itwill thus be seen that the machine is continuouslyautomatic in both the feeding of the material to the mold and itsdischarge therefrom, while the mold is rotated through the connectionsdescribed and held between the intermittent movement thereof by the automatically controlled latch mechanism con-- nected with the driving gearfor the feeding plunger. The invention therefore presents a simple,economically constructed and very eflicient molding apparatus for thepurposes set forth.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claim anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a molding machine, a feedhopper, a pivoted mold having opposite boxes, connected ejectorsdisposed in said boxes, a feeding device intermediate the hopper andupper box of said mold to feed thereto, a

plunger mounted to enter said upper box in alinement with said connectedejectors, a delivery support beneath said mold, and a contactingabutment within said mold disposed intermediate the connected ejectorsto support the ejector in the upper box while permitting free deliveryfrom the lower box to said support.

2. In a molding machine, a feed hopper, a pivoted mold having oppositeboxes and connected ejector-s therein, means for feeding material to theupper box of said mold, a driving shaft provided with a plunger to entersaid: upper box in alinement with an oppositely located ejector, adelivery support beneath said mold, and a connection from said shaft tobodily reciprocate said mold simultaneously with the travel of theplunger.

3. In a molding machine, a feed hopper, a pivoted mold having oppositeboxes and connected ejectors therein, means for feed ing material to theupper box of said mold, a driving shaft provided with a plunger to entersaidupper box in alinement with an oppositely located ejector, adelivery support beneath said mold, a connection from said shaft tobodily reciprocate said mold simultaneously with the travel of theplunger, a latch mechanism for said mold during its reciprocatorytravel, and controlling mechanism upon said shaft for said latchmechanism.

4. In a molding machine, a feed hopper, a pivoted mold having oppositeboxes and connected ejectors therein, means for feeding material to theupper box of said mold, I

a driving shaft provided with a plunger to enter said upper box inalinement with an oppositely located ejector, a delivery support beneathsaid mold, a connection from said shaft to bodily reciprocate said moldsimultaneously with the travel of the plunger, a latch mechanism forsaid mold during its reci-procatory travel, a controlling mechanismuponsaid shaft for said latch mechanism, means for intermittently operatingsaid feeding means, and a connection from said feed operating means tosaid latchmechanism and driving shaft.

5- In a moldingmachine, a feed hopper, a pivoted mold having oppositeboxes and connected ejectors therein, means for feeding material to theupper box of said mold,

a driving shaft provided with a plunger to enter said upper box inalinement with an oppositely located ejector, a delivery support beneathsaid mold, a connection from said shaft to bodily reciprocate said moldsimultaneously with the travel of the plunger, a latch mechanism forsaid mold during its reciprocatory travel, a controlling mechanism uponsaid shaft for said latch mechanism, means for intermittently operatingsaid feeding means, a connection from said feed operating means to saidlatch mechanism and driving shaft, and means from said driving shaft tointermittently rotate said mold.

6. In a molding machine, a frame having a crank shaft mounted at theupper portion thereof, a mold plunger carried by said shaft, a feedhopper, a pivoted mold having opposite boxes and connected ejectorstherein, a plunger for feeding material to the upper box of said mold, adriving wheel connected by a pitman to said feed plunger, a gear meshedwith said Wheel and provided with a ratchet wheel upon its hub, aratchet lever having a pawl to cooperate with said ratchet wheel, and aconnection from said ratchet lever to said crank shaft.

7. In a molding machine, a frame having a crank shaft mounted at theupper portion thereof, a mold plunger carried by said shaft, a feedhopper, a pivoted mold having opposite boxes and connected ejectorstherein, a plunger for feeding material to the upper box of said mold, adriving wheel connected by a pitman to said plunger, a gear meshed withsaid wheel and provided with a ratchet wheel upon its hub, a ratchetlever having a pawl cooperating with said ratchet wheel, a connectionfrom said ratchet lever to said crank shaft, and a latch mechanismcooperating with said mold and connected with the ratchet lever.

8. In a molding machine, a frame, a crank shaft mounted at the upperportion thereof, a rotatable mold mounted at the lower portion of saidframe, a plunger connected to said crank shaft and cooperating with saidmold, a feeding device, a feeding plunger, a driving wheel connected bya pitman thereto, a gear meshed with said wheel and provided with aratchet wheel upon its hub, a ratchet lever having a pawl to cooperatewith the ratchet wheel, a connection from said ratchet lever to saidcrank shaft, a latch cooperating with said mold, a lever connected withsaid latch, and a slotted bar extended from the end of said lever andconnected to the outer end of the ratchet lever.

9. In a molding machine, a frame, a crank shaft disposed at the upperportion thereof and provided with eccentric means, a plunger carried bysaid shaft, a mold having opposite boxes and connected ejectors therein,

in alinement with the travel of said plunger, means carried by the moldto limit the travel of said ejectors, means for feeding material tothe-upper box of said mold, a hanger carried by the eccentric means uponthe crank shaft and connected to said mold to reciprocate the latter, acrank carried by said shaft, a driving gear for said feeding means, anda connection from said crank shaft to said gear for intermittentlyrotating the same.

10. In a molding machine, a frame, a crank shaft disposed at the upperportion thereof and provided with eccentric means, a plunger carried bysaid shaft, a mold having opposite boxes and connected ejectors therein,in alinement with the travel of said plunger, means carried by the moldto limit the travel of said ejectors, means for feeding material to theupper box of said mold, a hanger carried by the eccentric means upon thecrank shaft and connected to said mold to reciprocate the latter, adriving gear for said feeding means, a connection from said crank shaftto said gear for intermittently rotating the same, a gear disposed uponthe mold shaft, and a connection from the crank shaft for intermittentlyrotating the mold shaft gear.

11. In a molding machine, a frame, a driving shaft disposed at the upperportion thereof, a rotatable mold carried by the lower portion thereofand having opposite boxes with connected ejectors therein, means carriedby said crank shaft for bodily reciprocating said mold, and a plungercarried by said shaft for simultaneous movement with said moldreciprocating means and in alinement with an oppositely located ejector.

12. In a molding machine, a rotary mold, a latch therefor comprisingoppositely disposed bolts, crank levers for actuating said bolts,depending hangers from the outer ends of said crank levers, a rock shafthaving arms at its opposite ends connected with said hangers, and meansfor oscillating one of said crank levers.

13. In a molding machine, a rotary mold, a latch therefor comprisingoppositely disposed bolts, crank levers for actuating said bolts,depending hangers from the outer ends of said crank levers, a rock shafthaving arms at its opposite ends connected with said hangers, a pivotedlever, a link extending therefrom to one of said crank levers, a slottedarm from the opposite end of said pivoted lever, and a connection foroperating said 'arm.

14. In a molding machine, a rotary mold, a latch therefor comprisingoppositely disposed bolts, crank levers for actuating said bolts,depending hangers from the outer ends of said crank levers, a rock shafthaving arms at its opposite ends connected with & 903,663

said hangers, a pivoted lever, a link extendlever disposed in the slotof the arm of the ing therefrom to one of said crank levers, a latchmechanism. 10 slotted arm from the opposite end of said In testimonywhereof I affix my signature pivoted lever, a feeding mechanism, a inpresence of two Witnesses.

5 ratchet'wheel, a lever for operating the same, SAMUEL T. H. BRADLEY.

a bar extending from said ratchet wheel to Witnesses: a crank wheel uponthe main shaft, and an I. C. CARTER,

extension from the pivot of the ratchet H. L. ROBINSON.

